BOYS, INSECTS, AND CHICKENS 



a good while, that he was having a sort of fit. 

 Meanwhile Googly rolled on the ground outside 

 in the garden convulsed with laughter. Suddenly 

 I called out, " Bass, Kiranger, Bass ! " (Stop), in a 

 firm voice, as if he were an hysterical patient. He 

 stopped suddenly and turned round, grinning all 

 over his face with that horrid slit of an eye shining. 

 Googly explained to me then that it was only his 

 native dance. 



I wanted some nails to nail my chicken run, so 

 sent Googly to find some ; he returned with two 

 huge ones, six inches or more long, hanging from 

 holes in the top of his ears, which he thought would 

 amuse me. He was always a conscious actor for my 

 benefit. 



When my husband shot game he always gave 

 meat to the boys, but Baruku and Ali would not 

 eat it. Once Ali wished to explain to me that 

 he only ate beef or mutton, and as I could not re- 

 member what cattle was in Swahili he said, " Bibi a 

 Mazewa ! " (The lady of the milk). But Kiranger 

 and Googly ate venison. One day my husband shot 

 a kongoni, the porters and Kiranger, who were out 

 with my husband on the chance of getting meat, 

 then and there cooked some while it was still warm. 

 He also shot a " Tommy," some of which I kept for 

 myself, reserving two legs to give away to friends^ 

 and the rest to the boys. Next day on making in- 



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